Ruling, opposition benches exchange barbs over disbanded industrial security force

The Haryana Assembly on Tuesday witnessed the ruling BJP members and main opposition Congress legislators exchanging barbs over the disbanded Haryana State Industrial Security Force.

During the Zero Hour, Congress MLA Kiran Choudhary raised the plight of a large number of personnel of the disbanded force who lost their job over a decade ago.

The force was formed by the then Indian National Lok Dal government, but was disbanded due to various technicalities and objections during previous Congress regime after which nearly 3,000 personnel lost their jobs.

Later, the Congress government adjusted some of the personnel in the police department while the BJP government later engaged some of them as Special Police Officers on contract basis.

Kiran Choudhary wanted that some permanent solution should be found to adjust them as contracts were only annual.

On this home minister Anil Vij claimed that it was the previous Congress government which had disbanded the force.

"Did you ever raise the issue during the past decade," former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told Vij, who retorted by saying, I did, but you (Hooda) behaved like a dictator and never listened to the opposition voice (BJP was in opposition then)".

As soon as Vij had said this, Congress MLAs were up on their feet and sought an apology from Vij.

Intervening in the issue, Chief Minister Khattar said that Zero Hour does not mean that House decorum will not be maintained.

"Do not politicise the issue," Khattar told opposition Congress members.

The din continued for a while till Hooda asked Khattar to mention about Congress government's gesture to adjust some of the personnel of the disbanded force like the BJP government.

Kiran Chaudhry said it was on humanitarian grounds that she had raised this issue of the personnel of the disbanded force and while targeting Vij, she said, unfortunately, Mr Vij has to intervene in everything and he twists entire debate into a different scenario.